Brain imaging studies shed light on magic mushroom effects

Scientists have improved their understanding of the effects of magic mushrooms on the brain.

A research team at Imperial College London have carried out brain scans on people under the influence of psilocybin, the active ingredient in these mushrooms.

Their studies, which are published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences and the British Journal of Pyschiatry, have enabled them to identify areas of the brain where the chemical suppresses activity.

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Their results suggest that psilocybin may help people to experience memories more vividly.

Professor David Nutt, from Imperial's Department of Medicine, said that it was previously assumed that psychedelic drugs work by increasing brain activity.

'But surprisingly, we found that psilocybin actually caused activity to decrease in areas that have the densest connections with other areas,' he revealed.

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'These hubs constrain our experience of the world and keep it orderly. We now know that deactivating these regions leads to a state in which the world is experienced as strange.'

The research also suggests that psilocybin may help to promote emotional wellbeing and reduce depressive symptoms.

Both fresh and prepared magic mushrooms that contain psilocybin are currently classified as class A drugs, which means possession and supply is illegal in the UK and can result in imprisonment and unlimited fines.

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